I’ve said it before, that success is the study of the obvious—but
sometimes we need someone to remind us and show us the simplest way to
get there.Here are four simple steps to find your way to more success than you could ever imagine:

1. Collect good ideas.

My mentor taught me to keep a journal when I was 25 years old. It’s
the best collecting place for all of the ideas and information that
comes your way. And that inspiration will be passed on to my children
and my grandchildren.If you hear a good health idea, capture it, write it down. Then on a
cold wintry evening or a balmy summer night, go back through your
journal. Dive back into the ideas that changed your life, the ideas that
saved your marriage, the ideas that bailed you out of hard times, the
ideas that helped you become successful. That’s valuable, going back
over the pages of ideas you gathered over the years, reminiscing,
reminding yourself.
So be a collector of good ideas, of experiences, for
your business, for your relationships, for your future.It is challenging to be a student of your own life, your own
future, your own destiny. Don’t trust your memory. When you listen to
something valuable, write it down. When you come across something
important, write it down. Take the time to keep notes and to keep a
journal.

2. Have good plans.

Building a life, building anything, is like building a house; you
need to have a plan. What if you just started laying bricks and somebody
asks, “What are you building?” You put down the brick you’re holding
and say, “I have no idea.”So, here’s the question: When should you start building the house? Answer: As soon as you have it finished. It’s simple time management.Don’t start the day until it is pretty well finished—at least the
outline of it. Leave some room to improvise, leave some room for extra
strategies, but finish it before you start it. Don’t start the week
until you have it finished. Lay it out, structure it, put it to work.
The same goes for the month ahead—don’t start it until you have a plan
in place.And, the big one, don’t start the year until it is finished on paper.
It’s not a bad idea, toward the end of the year, to sit down with your
family for the personal plans, to sit down in your business for the
professional plans, to sit down with your financial advisor to map out
money plans. Plan out your calendar, your game plan, for all of life’s moving parts.The reason why most people face the future with apprehension
instead of anticipation is because they don’t have it well designed.

3. Give yourself time.

It takes time to build a career.
It takes time to make changes. It takes time to learn, grow, change,
develop and produce. It takes time to refine philosophy and activity. So
give yourself time to learn, time to start some momentum, time to
finally achieve.I remember when Mama was teaching me a little bit about the piano.
“Here is the left hand scale,” she said. I got that; it was easy. “Here
is the right hand scale.” I got that, too. Then she said, “Now we are
going to play both hands at the same time.” “Well, how can you do that?”
I asked. Because one at a time was easy... but two the same time? But I
got to where I could play the scales with both hands. “Now we are going
to read the music and play with both hands,” she said. You can’t do all that,
I thought. But you know, sure enough I looked at the music, looked at
each hand, a little confused at first, but finally I grasped it. Then I
remember the day when Mama said, “Now we are going to watch the
audience, read the music and play with both hands. Now that is going too far!
I thought. How could one person possibly do all that? By giving myself
time to master one skill before we went to the next, I got to where I
could watch the audience, read the music and play with both hands.Life is not just the passing of time. Life is the collection of experiences and their intensity.

4. Change yourself.

Learn to solve problems—business problems, family problems, financial
problems, emotional problems. The best way to treat a challenge? As an
opportunity to grow. Change if you have to, modify if you must, discard an old philosophy that wasn’t working well for a new one.The best phrase my mentor ever gave me: “Mr. Rohn, if you will
change, everything will change for you.” I took that to heart, and sure
enough, the more I improved, the more everything improved for me.You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight.